Keeping Kids Quiet on a Plane

You are finally getting away on vacation - you have planned this vacation for several months, and you made it to the plane. Getting through security was a bit of work, but fortunately it was not too busy. You ran the kids around the terminal a little bit in hopes that they would be worn out and want to just chill. You are now on the plane and the real adventure begins.

Your child may be an angel and keep nice and quiet. But it’s more likely that you’re going to have to deal with a child who isn’t perfect for you on the plane. It’s simply part of taking a child on a plane - they’re likely to throw a fit at some point and they’re going to make you embarrassed and those around you may not be too happy about it. Simply prepare in your mind for this situation.

It’s not your job to keep your child quiet 100% of the time. Yes, you shouldn’t just ignore your child and let them scream and run wild around the plane (not that you’d be allowed to anyways), but it’s also not your job to keep your kids completely silent either. Your job is to do your best to keep them entertained and well behaved. If they throw a fit, you try to calm them down the best you can.

What you’re not required to do is apologize to everyone around you. Apologizing is nice, but people can’t expect that a child that they’re sitting next to is going to be perfect on an airplane. They didn’t buy a ticket with any type of terms that say they won’t sit next to a child that may cry or scream during the flight. If they’re looking to travel in peace and quiet, then they probably shouldn’t be travelling.

As a parent, you should come prepared with as many toys and tools as possible to keep your child entertained on the flight. Toys, books, tablets, and snacks are all great options to help to keep your child semi-quiet. If you’re looking for the best tips of what to bring, then check out our article on flying with kids. You’ll want to be as prepared as possible - that’s the most respectable think that you can do.

Unfortunately, some people think that you should keep your child silent for the entire trip. These people have likely never had kids, and simply don’t understand that it’s not possible sometimes to get your child to quiet down. Let them be annoyed and give you as many dirty looks as they want - it’s simply not your responsibility to make sure they aren’t bothered. Your job is to take care of your child the best you can.

Just because you have a child (or multiple children) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to travel somewhere. If that were the case, there would be far less children in this world. As you travel more with your child, they’ll get better at the flying thing, and you’ll get better in managing how they do on the flights. Don’t worry if they throw a tantrum - work through it the best you can.

Get out and fly with your child if you want to. Do your best to keep them entertained during the flight, but you don’t owe anyone an apology if they don’t behave perfectly. Get on to your vacation and have a good time.